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District Cuisine got news last night that The Wydown passed its final inspection and will be open for business today in the new Apollo building (600 H Street, NE). You can see our previous preview post on The Wydown here. The bar part of The Wydown will be opening late next week. We can’t wait to check it out!

News broke many months ago that the new Apollo building on H Street (600 H Street, NE–home of the future Whole Foods) would include a coffee bar from the owners of The Wydown on 14th Street. Construction is on schedule (Whole Foods should open early in 2017), and the coffee bar should open in either late October or November. District Cuisine caught up with Alex McCracken, co-owner of The Wydown, last week to discuss the upcoming concept.

The H Street coffee spot will have its own unique name that should be finalized soon. The team is very excited to be joining the H Street community; McCracken lived for several years right behind H Street and originally looked to open The Wydown in the Atlas District. While there are currently several coffee options on H Street, McCracken thinks that there is definitely room for more coffee in the neighborhood.

The H Street location will be similar to the one on 14th Street but not a carbon copy. The new location’s interior is being designed by Edit Lab, the same firm that designed the 14th Street location. As currently designed, the coffee bar will have a second entrance (in addition to the exterior H Street one) that will open up into the two story lobby of the Apollo during the day. This feature will expand customer seating and will allow customers to sit on the second floor, overlooking H Street. For security purposes, the second entrance will be closed at night.

Future customers can look forward to made from scratch pastries, ground and brewed to order coffee, and a small bar at night featuring several small food offerings (think cheese plate, nuts, etc). For customers who are in a rush, pre-brewed coffee, ice coffee, and other standard options will be available. The 14th Street location does not currently offer alcohol but is adding it soon. H Street customers can expect wine, beer, and one or two drinks as well. The coffee bar will offer free coffee tastings (or “cuppings”) on Fridays, so that customers can experiment with their coffee palates.

Once open, the coffee bar will be open from early to late every day with later hours on the weekend. More details as it gets closer to opening!